Our Projects

Olla Nutricional

One of the most common health
problems in the villages where we work is malnutrition. Even villagers
who have a job often simply lack the money to feed their large families
(ten or fifteen children is not considered uncommon), and the problem
is intensified by widespread parasites and tropical fevers, as well as
the lack of education and primary health care services in remote
villages.

In villages where malnutrition is
particularly widespread, Vamos Adelante has also set up school feeding
programs and lunch kitchens, "Ollas Nutricionales". The school feeding programs do not only
give the children an extra nutritional boost, but also encourage
villagers to send their sons and daughters to school every day.

The Olla Nutricional

The "Olla Nutricional" program currently provides basic food items (particularly milk, rice and
beans) and nutritional supplements three times per week to hundreds of
children, adults and elderly people in three villages. Our health care promoters work
together with local nutritionists to weigh and measure all program
participants on a monthly basis and offer treatment (including extended
hospitalization for the most vulnerable infants) to the families.
Our health care promoters also visit
them in their homes regularly to follow their progress.

This program has seem great success in the first village in which an Olla Nutricional was established seven years ago, in 2002. Most participants in this program have returned to "normal" weight, adults have regained enough strength to be able to work again, and students have shown signs of improved concentration in school. Vamos Adelante continues extending this program to additional villages.

An example of our work on nutrition:

When Clara was five, her
mother died. Having never known her father, the little girl was left an
orphan and spent several years being passed around from family member
to family member. Clara was not adjusting well to her loss and seemed
to sense that she was a burden on her relatives, most of whom were
struggling to keep their own large families fed and clothed. Clara
began losing weight rapidly and was brought to us a near-skeleton with
open sores on her body. Vamos Adelante offered Clara's family the
option of placing her in a specialized hospital nutrition ward to save
the girl's life. After spending several months regaining her strength
with the help of caring doctors and nutritionists, Clara was able to
return to her village. Vamos Adelante offered to help one of her aunts
with basic food and household supplies each month if she took the girl
in permanently and promised to care for her properly. Clara's aunt
began attending Vamos Adelante's basic health & hygiene sessions
twice a month, and with our help managed to get Clara back to a normal
weight. Today, Clara is eight years old and attends the first grade at
her village's elementary school. Vamos Adelante's local health care
promoter still visits the family regularly at home (in addition to
giving health & hygiene classes), and ensures that the continued
food and household supplies are benefiting the little girl and that she
is developing well.